The field of the invention is microdischarge devices and arrays. The invention is applicable to multilayer ceramic integrated circuit devices and hybrid packaged silicon integrated circuits.
Microdischarge devices excite a small volume of discharge in a gas or vapor through electrodes to produce, for example, a display, a chemical sensor, or a device to dissociate toxic or hazardous gases. Microdischarges have the potential to be superior to many types of other light display technologies, such as liquid crystal displays and cathode ray tubes. However, several potential applications of microdischarges require devices that are rugged, capable of operation at elevated temperatures and yet be integrated with electronic components.
There continues to be a need for improved microdischarge devices having suitable brightness characteristics and which are able to be integrated into existing and emerging integrated circuit technologies, and thick film processes, in particular.
The invention meets this need for an improved device. The invention is a novel type of microdischarge device that may be integrated into multilayer ceramic integrated circuit (MCIC) technology. MCIC technology can serve as a substrate for silicon integrated circuits, Group III-V integrated circuits, as well as discrete components. In addition, devices such as inductors and capacitors can be formed in MCIC devices.
A discharge device of the invention includes multiple bonded ceramic layers with electrodes formed between the layers. It can be combined with the various MCIC technologies to produce myriad useful devices. Contacts are made to the electrodes, which may be grouped in different arrangements. The electrodes contact a hole through some or all of the ceramic layers that define a discharge cavity. Different groupings of the electrodes will produce different types of discharge and serve different applications. Alternating the electrodes in interdigitated pairs permits an arbitrary extension of the discharge cavity length. Having consecutive anodes or cathodes permits formation of regions where electrons may cool. Another device of the invention includes a multilayer ceramic structure having a hole formed in a least one outer layer through an electrode and in contact with another electrode.